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Asheville is a nice little town with a good vibe, but it's not a mountain town. The elevation of Asheville is only 2000 ft. and there's plenty of heat and humidity for at least 3-4 months. Riding season is fall and spring which is 4-5 months total. Winters are cold and icy. I live in NC and found it hilarious reading some of the comments about how liberal Asheville is. It might be considered liberal in the bible belt but in actuality it's just another Southern town with less rednecks and some old hippies thrown in for a change.

(The $ at stake here are about $1500/yr for a typical house and the connection bill typically ran $1000-3000. Then there would be monthly water and sewer charges in addition because you could not keep using a well and septic system)

there is even a move afoot to tax the water coming out of your well!

hopefully with the change in the political winds, this idea will be seen for what it is.

I lived in NC and would move back but TN was great as well and taxes are much lower. No income tax and property tax is on actual land not vehicles like in NC. So having toys is very expensive in NC as you pay tax on them each year. It cost me around $350 to register my 1 year old Monster I paid $10,500 for so you can do the math on your toys. Insurance was also higher than in TN on home owners and vehicles. The mountains in TN look the same. One more thing, have you stayed and spent some time in Asheville? Beautiful place and will not discuss politics but very ultra liberal. More like San Francisco than NC. You might be fine with that and not saying you should be otherwise but I think a conservative would feel out of place.

I don't have climatic data for Weston, TX, but using a similar location (Dallas), the numbers are:

Dallas
Htg. 1% = 24 F
Cool. 99% = 98db/74wb

What does this mean? It will be colder in the winter, and cooler, but somewhat more humid, in the summer, compared to Weston/Dallas. Data per ASHRAE Fundamentals 2001.

There are some skiing areas nearby that operate (mostly by artificial snow - this ain't Colorado). You will have a full four season experience here. Typical wind speeds are similar to Dallas. Rainfall is a somewhat different story. Asheville gets about 35% more moisture than Dallas and is an entirely different environment. The geography is more rolling foothills than mountains, but the higher elevations are just a short drive away. The foliage is entirely different. Good highways and secondary roads. UNC Asheville nearby, as are medical facilities. Great access to Virginia and Tennessee mountains, and South Carolina is just a jump away.

Asheville only has about 75,000 population, so some of the amenities you might take for granted living near Dallas could be hard to come by.

In any case, bring an open mind, visit the Biltmore (including winery), have lunch at the Grove Park Inn, walk the downtown area, and see for yourself.

I see that you are from Hotlanta. No wonder you can ride all year, specially during the height of summer. Sorry but I do ride full gear all the time including a full face helmet.
Asheville summer weather is a no go for me with terrible humidity. I do this for fun.

Like Visian I also ride all year in NC. You do need to watch for ice if getting off the coastal plain during the middle of winter and some shady spots in the mountains will have ice pretty frequently, especially in the morning hours.
But in any town or city. roads are generally fine in winter except right around storms or extended cold spells.
As Visian notes, with electric jackets 12 mth riding is very doable. My local club (in Wilmington on the coast and a few degrees warmer than Asheville in winter) gets its biggest turnouts for rides in JAN and FEB- I think because most of our folks are in town then rather than off at rallies or doing other things. This is the exact opposite of the local Harley riders stick to shorts or jeans that mostly disappear in the winter, except for a few hard core bike commuters who use full leathers or chaps/jacket combos.

Can't agree that Asheville has a 4-5 mth riding season. I'd call it about 4-5 mths of prime weather, a couples months in early spring when cool rain is not rare so you'll want to carry rain gear on the bike, a couple of hot summer months (JULY/AUG) that can be nasty and are the worst riding months, and 2-3 months when considering ice possibilities needs to be in your thinking.

I see that you are from Hotlanta. No wonder you can ride all year, specially during the height of summer. Sorry but I do ride full gear all the time including a full face helmet.
Asheville summer weather is a no go for me with terrible humidity. I do this for fun.

i think our riding gear habits are probably pretty similar.

heck, i thought you were talking about not riding in the winter! maybe your problem is that you're staying in the valleys... <2k feet.

our house in WNC is at 4k feet, and I commonly am on roads (ok, a lot of forest service roads) at 5-6k feet.

there have been times in the summer when I've actually been cold up there.

Asheville is a nice little town with a good vibe, but it's not a mountain town. The elevation of Asheville is only 2000 ft. and there's plenty of heat and humidity for at least 3-4 months. Riding season is fall and spring which is 4-5 months total. Winters are cold and icy. I live in NC and found it hilarious reading some of the comments about how liberal Asheville is. It might be considered liberal in the bible belt but in actuality it's just another Southern town with less rednecks and some old hippies thrown in for a change.

There are places full of yuppies & places full of hillbillies - Ashville is too pricey for a hillbilly. Go to Maggie Valley area or parts of N. GA if you want to find even higher taxes & even less hillbillies. There are places in E.TN, S.VA,N.GA,E. & Central KY, and a few other spots that have lower taxes and real estate than Ashville.

We had lived in NC. back in the early 90's and said it was the place for us when I came in from my international travels for work and decided to slow down.

Fled FL. 6 years ago and moved to the Piedmont area, 60 miles N. of Charlotte, 2 hrs west of Raleigh area, 3 hrs East of Asheville ,so both the top of the mountains and the coast are easily driveable in less than 1/2 a day.

Real estate costs , taxes, H.O. insurance, and availability of land are much less .
I almost burst out laughing at closing over the minimal cost of my H.O insurance compared to what we had been paying in FL. Same for the taxes !!

We are in an older established neighborhood , on a half acre surrounded by woods. My riding starts at the end of my street , one turn and I am in the country. But all the conveniences I need are less than a few miles the other way.
The " big" city of Winston Salem ( listed in the top 10 of places for retirees) is 11 miles down the highway.

Lewisville has one stop light, two banks, three gas stations, two grocery stores, several vetrenarians . The largest building in town is our library !
We have a couple of good places to eat, and NO FAST FOOD joints !
Several parks, and lots of other green space.

Climate is usually pretty good, we do get some snow and it can get hot , but it is neither too hot or too cold for too long. All the services that us older folks like are here, along with good places to eat, and a decent airport if you have to fly.

no regrets form us , who have lived in several other states and foreign countries.

I live in Durham, NC and the mountains are my retreat when I am tired of civilization. Asheville is quite city-like in its center but green all around, and has its perks and downers, just like any place. In the end this is so personal, and only you can decide what it is that gives you the quality of life you want for yourself. Do you want to live in the city with nature close by, or would you like to live where you don't see the smoke of your neighbor's chimney but the amenities of a city are within driving distance?

I know people who have lived in Asheville and have liked it a lot. You will find medical care, a BMW dealer, good restaurants, arts and culture, and I don't know what else matters to you.